Noise generated by an aircraft as it approaches a runway while landing can be a nuisance to surrounding communities. The noise generated by an aircraft on approach to a runway includes primarily two components. The first component is the noise generated by the engines of the aircraft. The second component is airframe noise, a large part of which includes the noise generated by the aircraft's landing gear passage through the air.
For decades, the noise generated by an aircraft's engines had been the dominant source of noise generated by an aircraft while landing. Accordingly, noise reducing efforts have traditionally focused on reducing the magnitude of the noise generated by the aircraft's engines. These efforts have been fruitful, and as a result of these efforts, the noise generated by an aircraft's engine while landing is now no louder than the noise generated by airframe noise, including the landing gear during landing. Therefore, in order to further diminish the noise generated by an aircraft when landing, the component of the noise attributable to the landing gear must be reduced.
It has been determined that conventional nose landing gear arrangements are particularly prone to generating loud noise during approach and landing. A conventional nose landing gear arrangement includes a wheel assembly, a shock strut mounted to the wheel assembly, and a torque arm assembly that is coupled to the shock strut and to the wheel assembly. The torque arm assembly is configured to apply a torque to the wheel assembly to allow a pilot to turn the wheel assembly, and hence steer the aircraft, once the aircraft has landed.
Conventionally, the torque arm assembly has been located to the rear of the shock strut with respect to the direction of travel of the aircraft. The shock strut is generally cylindrical in configuration. Airflow passing over the shock strut during landing sheds turbulence which then immediately impacts the torque arm assembly. This arrangement of components and its consequential sequence of events are known to produce especially loud and undesirable noise as the aircraft approaches an airfield for landing.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a landing gear arrangement that is configured to reduce the level of noise generated during landing. In addition, it is desirable to provide a method for assembling a landing gear arrangement that is configured to reduce the noise level generated during landing. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.